Aberdeenshire schools 'mothballed' as school closure process explained

Earlier this year Aberdeenshire Council made the decision to mothball two rural schools – but what exactly does the term mean?

Simply put, ‘mothballing’ is the name given to the process that temporarily closes a school. But, it means the building could be re-opened again should there be a change in circumstances.

Aberdeenshire Council’s mothballing procedure is triggered once a school hits a pupil roll of just eight or less.

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There are 147 primary schools across the region that welcome around 21,000 children during term time. Most of these facilities are classified as rural, with 38 in particular deemed to be remote.

The more remote schools typically have a small pupil roll and operate with one or two classes. While more one-to-one attention between pupils and teachers can be seen as a benefit, the local authority believes that “fewer is not always better”.

Education chiefs argue that low pupil numbers threaten the educational benefits and social wellbeing of youngsters. They say larger classes allow children to work together with others of the same age and makes it easer for them to make friends.

However, they worry that smaller pupil numbers can cause some youngsters to feel isolated. Having fewer pupils in a class can also make it harder for teachers to carry out planned lessons if one or two pupils are absent.

Closing schools can also save the local authority vital money. It costs the local authority around £261,000 to run the small King Edward School near Banff, which equates to £11,358 per pupil.

Staff at schools starting a new year with just one class will be given mothballing guidance to support them should the roll decline. If this does happen, discussions with the head teacher will begin and predicted school rolls will be monitored more closely.

If it doesn’t look likely that the situation will get better, a proposal to mothball the school will be made. However, before a school can close or be relocated, councils across the country must carry out consultation as per the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

This also means that councils have to follow stricter guidelines when it comes to rural schools.

Once it is decided that mothballing is the best option, various meetings are held to inform everyone from staff and parents, to councillors and school transport firms. Work is then carried out to move affected pupils to alternative schools within the catchment area.

Under the Act, schools will be mothballed for no longer than three years.

Over the last 15 years, five schools in the region have been closed while a further five have been mothballed.

Closed schools

• New Aberdour School (closed in May 2009, before the 2010 Act was put in place).

• Ardallie School (mothballed in September 2012 and closed in July 2014).

• Strachan School (mothballed in August 2015 and reopened in November 2015. It was mothballed for a second time in 2017 and closed in June 2021).

• Longhaven School (mothballed in 2019 and closed in August 2022).

• Gartly School (mothballed in 2021 and closed in January 2023).

Mothballed schools

• Fisherford School and Easterfield School were mothballed during the 2021-2022 session. A final decision on their permanent closure is currently with the Scottish Government for approval.

• Clatt School (mothballed during 2022-2023 session).

• Kinneff School and Tullynessle School (mothballed during this current 2024-2025 session).

However, one school managed to narrowly avoid closure.

Last March, Aberdeenshire Council announced that Largue School near Huntly was to be mothballed. Following a successful campaign by parents, however, the decision was reversed.

Buildings that have been mothballed are regularly checked and maintained to ensure they are wind and watertight. Any equipment, such as computers, or furniture is given to other schools but must be returned should the facility need to re-open.

Once a school is closed for good, the future of the building can typically go one of two ways.

It may be knocked down with its land put on the market for potential redevelopment. This was the case with the former St Andrew’s School in Inverurie that was left empty as staff and pupils moved to the new Inverurie Community Campus in 2020.

Alternatively, the buildings can be brought back to life and repurposed. For example, plans have been lodged to transform the old Strachan School into a house.

A similar plan was approved for the former New Aberdour Primary School back in 2021. Meanwhile, work is underway to convert the historic Old Fordyce School into a residential teaching centre for adults.